Virtualizing a set of managers to form a composite manager in an autonomic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9367358-B2
Application number	US-38210406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2006
Priority date	May 8, 2006
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A composite manager may include a set of managers virtualized as a single entity. The composite manager may also include at least one of a module to provide a single manager interface for the set of managers to manage at least one entity, and a module to provide a single manageability interface for the set of managers relative to any managing entity of the composite manager.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising:
a processor;
a composite manager operating on the processor, the composite manger comprising:
a set of partial autonomic managers, operating on the processor virtualized as a single entity to collectively appear and behave as a single autonomic manager to any external entity, each partial autonomic manager adapted to perform a part of a complete autonomic loop;
a module, operating on the processor, to provide a single manager interface for the set of partial autonomic managers to manage at least one entity, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to the at least one entity being managed through the single manager interface, the module being connected to the at least one entity by a sensor and effector; and
a module, operating on the processor, to provide a single manageability interface for the set of partial autonomic managers relative to any managing entity of the composite manager, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to any managing entity managing the composite manager through the single manageability interface, the module being connected to any managing entity by another sensor and effector.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , further comprising a collaboration module for the set of partial autonomic managers to collaborate with one another.

3. The computer system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one other module to provide an interface for interaction between the composite manager and any other managers.

4. The computer system of claim 1 , further comprising:
another module to provide an interface for interaction between the composite manager and any other managers; and
a collaboration module for the set of partial autonomic managers to collaborate with one another.

5. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the module to provide a single manager interface, the module to provide a single manageability interface, the module to provide an interface for interaction and the collaboration module are formable as a single module.

6. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the module to provide a single manager interface, the module to provide a single manageability interface, the module to provide an interface for interaction and the collaboration module are formable as at least one distributed module.

7. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the set of partial autonomic managers form a distributed system with collaboration logic implemented in an infrastructure between the managers.

8. The computer system of claim 4 , wherein the module to provide a single manageability interface is configured to perform at least one of:
accepting any requests for information sent to the composite manager;
gathering any information from the set of partial autonomic managers;
exposing any types of know-how the set of partial autonomic managers have between them;
accepting any requests to change behavior of the composite manager;
accepting any new know-how; and
passing any new information to an appropriate one of the set of partial autonomic managers; and
wherein the collaboration module is configured to perform at least one of:
coordinating interactions between the set of partial autonomic managers;
detecting any conflicts;
resolving any conflicts;
intercepting any requests from any of the set of partial autonomic managers; and
determining whether to at least one of pass on any request, modify any request, and reject any request.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the module is formable as one of a single module and at least one distributed module.

10. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the set of partial autonomic managers comprises an orchestrating manager to manage at least two other managers of the set of partial autonomic managers.

11. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the set of partial autonomic managers comprises at least one manual manager.

12. An autonomic system, comprising:
a processor;
at least one composite manager operating on the processor, wherein the at least one composite manager comprises:
a set of partial autonomic managers virtualized as a single entity to collectively appear and behave as a single autonomic manager to any external entity, wherein each of the set of partial autonomic managers performs a predetermined part of a complete monitor-analyze-plan-execute (MAPE) autonomic computing loop;
a module to provide a single manager interface for the set of partial autonomic managers to manage at least one entity, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to the at least one entity being managed through the single manager interface; and
a module to provide a single manageability interface for the set of partial autonomic managers relative to any managing entity of the composite manager, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to any managing entity managing the composite manager through the single manageability interface.

13. The autonomic system of claim 12 , wherein the composite manager further comprises a collaboration module for the set of partial autonomic managers to collaborate with one another.

14. The autonomic system of claim 12 , wherein the composite manager further comprises at least one other module to provide an interface for interaction between the composite manager and any other managers.

15. The autonomic system of claim 12 , wherein the composite manager further comprises:
another module to provide an interface for interaction between the composite manager and any other managers; and
a collaboration module for the set of partial autonomic managers to collaborate with one another.

16. The autonomic system of claim 12 , wherein the module to provide a single manageability interface is configured to perform at least one of:
accepting any requests for information sent to the composite manager;
gathering any information from the set of partial autonomic managers;
exposing any types of know-how the set of partial autonomic managers have between them;
accepting any requests to change behavior of the composite manager;
accepting any new know-how;
passing any new information to an appropriate one of the set of partial autonomic managers; and
wherein the collaboration module is configured to perform at least one of:
coordinating interactions between the set of partial autonomic managers;
detecting any conflicts;
resolving any conflicts;
intercepting any requests from any of the set of partial autonomic managers; and
determining whether to at least one of pass on any request, modify any request, and reject any request.

17. The autonomic system of claim 12 , wherein the set of partial autonomic managers comprises an orchestrating manager to manage at least two other managers of the set of managers.

18. A method to manage a system, comprising:
virtualizing a set of partial autonomic managers to collectively appear and behave as a single composite manager to any external entity, each partial autonomic manager adapted to perform a part of a complete autonomic loop;
forming a single manager interface for the set of partial autonomic managers to manage at least one entity, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to the at least one entity being managed through the single manager interface; and
forming a single manageability interface for the set of partial autonomic managers relative to any managing entity of the composite manager, wherein the set of partial autonomic managers are coupled to any managing entity manag

Assignees

• Britton Kathryn H
• Butler Nicholas D
• Brittenham Peter J
• Miller Brent A
• IBM

Inventors

• Britton Kathryn H
• Butler Nicholas D
• Brittenham Peter J
• Miller Brent A

Classifications

• G06Q10/10

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F9/5061 Primary

  Partitioning or combining of resources · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F9/455

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title